11:44am

Wed June 19, 2013
The Salt

The Martini: This American Cocktail May Have An International Twist

Originally published on Wed June 19, 2013 11:50 am

There's no cocktail more distinctly American than the martini. It's strong, sophisticated and sexy. It's everything we hope to project while ordering one.

Baltimore-born satirist H.L. Mencken is said to have called the martini "the only American invention as perfect as the sonnet." But is the martini perfectly American? Maybe not entirely.

So in honor of National Martini Day on Wednesday, we decided to dig into the drink's muddled past.

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11:04am

Wed June 19, 2013
Shots - Health News

AMA Says It's Time To Call Obesity A Disease

Credit NPR

While the American Medical Association may not have the clout it once did, it's still the largest single group of doctors making waves about health and the practice of medicine.

So it's not nothing when the AMA's House of Delegates approves a measure to label obesity a disease. The group's deliberative democratic body passed a measure in Chicago Tuesday that broadly, if vaguely, says obesity is a medical condition:

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9:34am

Wed June 19, 2013
It's All Politics

IRS Staffer: "What I Did Was Not Targeting"

Originally published on Wed June 19, 2013 11:18 am

Another interview with a key IRS employee, another oblique connection to Washington, D.C., and yet still no explosive revelations in the scandal surrounding the agency's targeting of Tea Party groups.

That, it seems, was precisely the point of Rep. Elijah Cummings' decision to release 205 pages of redacted interview transcripts Tuesday (here and here).

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9:13am

Wed June 19, 2013
The Two-Way

In Germany, Obama Defends NSA Surveillance Programs

Originally published on Wed June 19, 2013 11:25 am

Credit Timur Emek / Getty Images

Update at 10:20 a.m. ET. 'Peace With Justice':

Speaking at Brandenburg Gate in Berlin — the same spot where John F. Kennedy made his famous speech almost 50 years ago — President Obama on Wednesday called on the global community to fight for democracy and freedom everywhere.

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8:49am

Wed June 19, 2013
The Two-Way

In Brazil, Protests Continue As Some Cities Cut Bus Fares

Originally published on Wed June 19, 2013 11:33 am

Credit Daniel Guimaraen / AFP/Getty Images

For a second night in a row, tens of thousands of Brazilians took to the streets to protest everything from the cost of living to government corruption.

The AP reports that during Tuesday's demonstrations:

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7:58am

Wed June 19, 2013
The Two-Way

Book News: Kim Jong Un Reportedly Gave 'Mein Kampf' As Gifts

Originally published on Wed June 19, 2013 9:52 am

The daily lowdown on books, publishing, and the occasional author behaving badly.

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7:11am

Wed June 19, 2013
The Two-Way

Heat, Spurs Headed To Game 7 After Stunning Game 6

Originally published on Wed June 19, 2013 10:14 am

Credit Brendan Smialowski / AFP/Getty Images

We'll let LeBron James do the talking. He said about the sixth game of the NBA finals between the Heat and Spurs:

"It's by far the best game I've ever been a part of."

And it certainly was a stunner: The Heat's Ray Allen hit a three-pointer with just 5.2 seconds on the clock to tie the game, denying the Spurs their fifth NBA title. The game went into overtime and remained airtight, but eventually the Heat prevailed 103 to 100.

ESPN has highlights:

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7:09am

Wed June 19, 2013
World

Just Washed Your Car? Try Speeding To Dry It

Police in Canada say a man was driving 112 MPH on a highway south of Black Diamond, Alberta. In court, the man explained that he had just washed his car, and was simply speeding in order to dry it off.

7:04am

Wed June 19, 2013
Around the Nation

Banner Misspells College World Series

A huge banner over the third-base dugout spelled the name of the tournament incorrectly — college had three Ls. Organizers of the tournament were embarrassed — especially because they had to hold off on fixing the problem until there was a break in play.

6:38am

Wed June 19, 2013
The Two-Way

Taliban Attack Kills 4 Coalition Soldiers; Afghan Govt. Suspends Talks

Originally published on Wed June 19, 2013 10:17 am

Credit Rahmat Gul / AP

In the hours following an announcement by the Taliban and the United States saying they were ready to begin peace talks, we received reminders of just how tenuous that situation is: On Tuesday night the Taliban said they fired two rockets near Bagram airbase in Kabul. The International Security Assistance Force said four service members were killed by "an indirect fire attack."

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